The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic by Teemu Nikki
A darkly comic experimental love story about a man who goes through hell to reach his loved one
Award-winning Finnish director Teemu Nikki presents an extraordinary film about love, determination and the challenges of navigating the world as a disabled person.
Jaako and his long-distance girlfriend Sirpa share a passion for films but have never met. After one of their daily phone calls, Jaako spontaneously decides to make his way across Finland to visit her. Despite his charm and optimism, as a visually impaired wheelchair user, Jaako knows that he will be dependent on the help of strangers to navigate the urban landscapes along the way… What could possibly go wrong?
Based in part on the day-to-day experiences of actor Petri Poikolainen, who, like his character Jaako, has vision loss and partial paralysis from multiple sclerosis, The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic offers an intensely immersive perspective on the challenges of navigating the world as a blind wheelchair user. The film won best feature film, best screenplay and best leading actor awards at the 2022 Beijing International Film Festival, and the Orizzonti Extra audience award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival.
Teemu Nikki
Award-winning Finnish filmmaker Teemu Nikki is a self-taught director, screenwriter and producer. His first feature film, Euthanizer (2017), won recognition at festivals around the world, and was selected as the official Finnish entry for the 2019 Academy Awards. His third feature film, The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic (2021), won the Orizzonti Extra Audience Award at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. Nikki has also written and directed numerous short films and TV series. Together with producer Jani Pösö, he runs It’s Alive Films, one of the most active production companies in Finland. Nikki’s style is best described as a good-willed yet unapologetic political satire of humanity.
